John iiirons



(No Model.)

J. HIRONS. RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 427,512. Patented May 6, 1890.

f@ @fr QMMM%. /M l UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

J OIIN HIRONS, OF VELLINGTON, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ON lil-HALF TO MARTIN V. B. HOLMS, OF SAME PLACE.

RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT.

SPECIFICATION`forn1ing part of Letters Patent N o. 427,512, dated May 6, 1890.. Application led January 20, 1890. Serial No. 337,444. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HIRONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vtellington, in the county of Sumner and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints, of, which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to the construction and joining of railway-rails, and the purpose thereof is to provide a removable rail-section, which is linked to the end of the rail and jointed to a similar section upon the end of the meeting rail, the structure being supported by a chair or step, wherebya solid. rigid, substantial, and unyielding union is effected, having a resistance to strain equal to that aiforded by the solid portions of the rail proper.

Itis the purpose of my invention to provide a simple and durable construction of this type, which shall admit of contraction and expansion and give a smooth passage to the wheels without jar or jolt, while thejoint may at any time be renovated without removing the rail, and at a comparatively small eX- pense.

It is my further purpose to combine with the short rail-sections connected to the main rails asupporting-chair of novel construction adapted to receive the rail-foot and afford a foundation for the joint and for the ends of the main rails contiguous to the joint, the construction and arrangement being such as to permit the removal of the short rail-sec tions whenever they become worn or battered and the substitution therefor of new and sound sections of similar form without removing or disturbing the rails.

My invention also includes the provision of an improved construction of the meeting ends of the rail-sections, whereby a better, more durable, and smoother joint is formed than has heretofore been used.

The invention consists to these ends in the several novel features of construction and new combination of parts hereinafter fully set forth, and then definitely pointed out in the claims following this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to practice my said invention, I will describe the same in detail, reference being had lo the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of the roadway at the joint, showing my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of Fig. 2 in the line a' a'. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the end of one of the rails with the short rail-section connected thereto. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the chair.

In the said drawings, the reference-numeral l denotes the main rail of the roadway,which is of the usual form. To the ends of these rails are linked short rail-sections or jointsections 2, which abut squarely against the ends of the main rails and are connected thereto by means of a link-plate 3, laid dat against the webs of the abutting ends and fastened by pivotLbolts or rivets 4. At its other extremity one'of these joint-sections is provided with a semicircular or concave seat 5, cut in the end of the rail-head and of such Width as to leave shoulders 6 upon the edges of the rail-head. This seat receives a halfround or convex projection or head formed upon the outer end of the other joint-section and fitting closely within the seat 5, shoulders 8, formed transversely to the rail and lying outside of the convex head or proj ection 7, abutting against the square ends or shoulders 6 of the other section, by which 'construction the adjacent ends of the said joint-sections are interlocked by what may be termed a tongue-and-groove connection. The j oint-sections thus interlocked or tongued or grooved together and united with the main rails are supported on a chair 9 of such length as to include also a portion of the ends of the main rails. This chair is composed of a heavy plate of metal having upon its longer parallel edges anges lO, which rise from its surface, theinterval between said flanges being just sufficient to admit the foot l2 of the rail, as well as that of the joint-section. In the bottom of the chair, and preferably in the central line, I form two or more openings 13, to receive bolts or spikes, which are driven into the sleepers, a countersink being provided to receive the head of the spike and form flush surfaces. In the marginal flanges 10 are formed at proper intervals slots or notches 14, 'which may be out entirely through or only partly through said anges, in order to enable the heads of the spikes to make engagement with the foot of the rail and joint section. j

When the parts are united in the manner set forth, 'fish-plates l5 are placed upon each side` of the Webs in the usual manner and fastened by bolts 16,which pass through boltopenings 18 in the webs, at least one of said bolts passing through the web of each jointsection, while the fish-plates are of such length as to afford engagement for one or more bolts passing through the webs of the main rails. These fish-plates underlie and afford a support to the meeting shoulders 6 and 8 at the joint and unite the joint-sections With the main rails with a strength and rigidity equal to that of the integral portions of the rail. This union, taken in connection with the support afforded by the chair, affords a joint of great strength and durability,which will give a perfectly smooth passage to the wheels without jar or jolt and without unusual sound.

The form of the joint and the method of uniting the parts preserves the rails and prevents the ends from becoming battered, splintered, and worn or beaten down, while the smooth and easy passage it gives to the wheels saves the rolling-stock from much Wear and tear, besides promoting the safety of the train and enabling it to run at Very high speed without danger. In repairing the road, moreover, a large economy of time, labor, and expense is effected, since the worn portions may readily beremoved by simply drawing the spikes which engage the j oint-sections, removing the {ish-plates, and taking off said sections, which are replaced by new ones, the joint-sections being preferably duplicates one of another, although they may be of various lengths, if preferred. l

What I claim is- 1. In a railway-rail joint, the combination, with the main rails, of a series of interposed short joint-sections interlocked. at their adjacent ends and a series of links connecting the interlocked joint-sections with 'the respective main rails, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-rail joint, the combination, with the main rails, of short joint-sections connected to the ends of the main rails by pivotally-attached links, a chair underlying and supporting said sections and the ends of the rails, and tishplates uniting the same, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a railway-rail joint, the combination, with the main rails, of short joint-sections connected to the same by pivotally-attached link-plates, a chair spiked to the sleepers and having marginal `flanges con lining the foot of the rail, said marginal flanges being partly or wholly cut through to permit the spikes to engage the raiLfoot, and fish-plates uniting the jointsections and main rails, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a railway-rail joint, the combination, with the ends of the main rails, of short jointsections connected thereto by pivotally-attached plates, said j oint-sections .being provided, respectively, with a concave seat in one and a convex head at the other, which engage to form the joint,achair underlying the same, and ish-plates uniting the joint-sections and main rails, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a railway-rail joint, the 'combination of the main rails, a series of interposed short joint-sections, a series of links respectively connecting the j oint-sections to the main rails, and fish-plates covering the links, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OI-IN HIRONS.

Vv'itnesses:

A. H. BRUMLEY, R. W'. HURLBUT.

It is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in Letters Patent No. 427,512,

Y granted May 6, 1890, upon the application of John Hirons, Wellington, Kansas, for

an improvement in Railway-Rail Joints,77 Was erroneously Written and printed MartinoV B. Holms,7 whereas said name should have been Written and printed Martn V. B. Holmes, and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this `correotion therein that the same may conform to the files and records of the oase in the Patent Office.

Signed, eountersgned, and sealed this V3d day of June, A. D. 1890.

OYRS BUSSEY, Assistant Secretary of the Inferior.

[SEAL] Gountersigned C. E. MITCHELL, v

Commissioner of Patents. 

